Cotton-gins



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. H. RICHARDS.

(No Model.)

COTTON GIN.

nm n 8 8 1 .Rm W.. .m J S iw d v e L .fu .f n l .w n@ DL .u ,m K

(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

" P. H. RICHARDS.

u COTTON GIN.

No. 305,228. Patented Sept. 16, 1884.

'30 hand in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4is an elevation- 35 line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view` of nnnncis minionnnns, on SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, lfnssiefnon "ro THEFRATT WHITNEY @Mmm QFLHRTFORM CONNECTICUT-.v i

.M i ,v "A f, .f ,.,gn SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent No. 305,228, datedseptember 16, .1884.5 H `1` TApplication Iiledjljeceniber 31, 1F83.,` (No niodeLi" y" i l i" i W f large gear, Gf, which is secureclonroll-shaft To ILZZ whom t may concern/.- u

driven `Sia seriesl of brushes, Cf, and beaterc `13e it Lknown that I, FnnNcIsH. RienARns, a` citizen of the United States, residingat Springfield, in Athe county `of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements incGottonfGiiis, ofyxvhiclithe following'is aspecilifcation, reference being hadtothe accompanying dran',- lugs.` i su, o i g g ro 1hisinvcntion relates tothat class of cottongins known as roller-ginsf, and` it,` consists in acombinationof mechanism, substantially as described, for supporting, rotating, land pressingfthe `frictionf'roll against thedoctor-i 15 knife, also, in a combination fof mechanism? with the Afriction-roll to clear saidv roll of ,the1 ginned cotton, that would lothervvise adhere ,to l it, andreduce the fiber. togaV loose condition;` also, in combination withthe friction-roll and 2Q itsmovable shaft,1 and Withthedoctor-knife,

of a device or devices for limitingthe vertical. oscillation of said roll, also, inthelcoinloination, `ivith `the, frictionflroll described, and.,withV its driving and` vcontrolling devices, of a :seed- 2 5 clearer and devices for supporting the saine.,

In the drawings,A Figure ,1 isa planview of' a cotton-gin` embodying my ginvention. Fig. l 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an1 elevation of that end of theniaehinel at theleftK of that end of the machine attherighthand in Figs. 1 and 2,... Fig. 5,isa vertical longitudi-y nal section of the machine in lineage ,a Fig.; 1. 6 is a vertical transverse section in a part of Fig. 5, showing the means forsecun ingA the roll-cover. Fig. .8 showsY an ,alterna-` tive construction. of a part of theinachine. "o, d Similar letters refer to similar parts through- 4o outthe several viewslj` ,c .y F., Y i The frame A is shown formed in-one.` piece, which I prcferon account of the greater rig-l idity thereby secured. .Inthe framevare formed bearings for the drivingshaft S, a bearing, B,` for roll-shaft S` and its driver S2, bearingslt; for the sliding bearing-holdem?, and two bear-` ings, B, for rock-shaft SL'. rlhe drivingshaft S, which ,is driven by pulley ll-being a loose pulley,). carries a suitable` pinion, G, for driving an intermediate gear, G2, and thereby a t `"The `manner injvhichfl prefer forinthe bars, D, `for acting upon the cotton delivered from Vthe friction-roll, and a crank, .Chfor opc @retingth clearer-slideL by` means Qf iilter- 55. mediate mechanism a; This mechanism consists ef the mds-shaft S2, having arms C andi?, COI;- necting-rodyLQ fronicranlgfpinilll `to pin 15on arm C', and connecting-rod L,al,l suitably interposed. rFhe roll-shaft drivernSgis forinedavith 6o a `spherical socket, adapted toreceive one end ofthe rollfshaftS which is `formedto iit said socket, thus niakingauniversal joint, to which motion iscoininunicatedfrom the driverQSto T the shaft S by means ,ofadlivingfpiii,` .16. i `At 6 5 its oppositeend this shaft is supportedfalid pressed` iorwardby ,the slidingibearngvholder B* by means,` of a spring, S, (shown best .in Figstland `S,)and,a tightening-screw, 1ST, or by means-cf their equivalentsT-aWeighted ler 7o f Webmin@,bearing-miner Bf is,` a biocseiyiitted bearing, N7, whichl is c prevente'iV `frein turning` in said4 bearing-holdenby a pim-13,y o and Within lwhich the shaft S is adapted to be revolved. At about the center of shaft VS is secured the hollowfrictionroller D, by Lineans of the bushing N?, which lisexternallyof a on Sl (SeeuFig. .5.) `8o frietion-rll'l) to receive the-,bushing Nas shown in Fig. 5, is in two parts, merely as a convenient way to construct the same. A

driving-pin, 17, in .the bushingd?` serves .t0 85 communicate `rotary motion from shaft S tgo friction-roll-D. .Roll D is covered externally with a strip of `friction-preducing material,M, usuallyof leather,preferably` Wound spirallyv thereon andsecuredbybolts11.;` (Shown best 9o in Figs. 5 and 7.) c ,The friction-roll has holes ,therein for bolts11, .Which are countersunlgat .an angle, Z, more `obtuse than the angleJYof the head of the bolt, (sec Fig..V 7,) so that the. 4

boltflicad can be drawn,censiderablydbelow 95 the surface of the roll-cover,and` still hold` it Securely. The friction-roll beingifree tofoscillate upon the bushing INT, except as `heldin one direction laterally by the doctoif-knife,

o requires to be prevented from undue vertical 10o oscillation. I prevent any such undue oseillation by means of a guide-plate, P2, situated either above or below the roll, the latter position being preferred, in which casethesaid plate is situated at a suiiicientdistance from the said roll to permit the passage between them of the cotton-lint as fast as it is separated from the seed. Upon the rear side of the guideplate, either formed thereon, secured thereto7 or independently secured in the machine, as may be preferred, are one or more bars, D D2, between which and the brushes Cl and bars Di on shaft S the cotton lint passes, to be acted upon for the purpose of reducing it from the matted condition in which it is delivered from the friction-roll. rlhe back edge of the guide-plate answers a similar purpose as the bars, and may even serve instead of them whenever a moderate beating only of the cotton-lint is desired.

Upon the front of frame A is securedadoctor-knife, K, and upon the front of the latter a guard-plate, I. In a channel between them, formed preferably in the latter, a clearer-slide, L, having a clearer-blade, L2, attached thereto, is arranged to be reciprocated longitudinally. Upon the upper edge of the blade L2 is formed a series of undulations or elevations, substantially as shown, arranged to project a part of their height above the doctor-knife.

rlhe object of the construction of the clearer, as hereinbefore described, is to permit the elevations on the same to be made thin enough to properly perform their function of beating the cotton-seed off from the lint, and to secure at the same time sufficient rigidity of the clearer, as a whole, to properly sustain without injury the rapid reciprocation required. Motion is imparted to the clearer-slide by means of a crank, rock-shaft, and connections hereinbefore described, the length of stroke being preferably equal to the length of several of the elevations of the clearer-blade.

The adjustment of the several parts of the machine should be such that the brushes CL will touch the roller D and bars D D2, and that of the bars D'while not touching that roll, or the said bars D/ Dl shall still pass very close to the latter.

Owing to the method by which .roller-gins operate, it is necessary, when a rigid doctorknife is used, to support the friction-roll upon a movable, adjustable, or yielding shaft, so that it may accommodate the varying quantities of lint which at different times and at diiferent points in its length are drawn between it and said knife, and so that it may be moved toward the said knife as it is reduced in size by the wearing away of its cover.` By making the roll-shaft movable at one end on] y, as described, `I obtain the required adjustability of the roll relative to said knife, while the gearing for driving it remains in a fixed position, which in practice is very desirable,

and by supporting the roll centrally of its length, so as to oscillate laterally upon said shaft, the means for pressing. said roll against said knife are made to always act upon each end thereof, through said shaft as a lever, with equal force.

rlhe operation of my improved cotton-gin is asffollows: Power is applied to the machine by means of a band upon pulley I), thereby causing the driving-shaft S to revolve rapidly vin the direction ofthe arrow in Fig. 4, and by means of the gearing hereinbeforc described a slower rotary motion in the same direction is communicated from said shaft to the friction-roll D, and by means of crank C and the intermediate connecting mechanism a rapid reciprocating motion is given to clearer-blade L2. The exact relative velocity of these several motions I do not consider essential; but they should approximate, respectively, those now generally employed in similar cases. The screw N is turned up until the frictionroll D presses with sufficient force against the doctor knife, and seed-cotton is then presented against that roll immediately above the edge of said knife. The friction-roll bears against the doctor-knife, and as it revolves draws the lint in between it and said knife, while the seeds are loosened therefrom by the 1apid blows given them by the elevated portions of the clearer-blade. The mass of cotton lint is then carried backward under the roller and upon the guide-plate until it meets thebrushes and beater-bars, by which it is reduced from its matted and twisted condition to a form better adapted to the succeeding operations of the cotton -manufacture The brushes also act to prevent the lint from adhering to the friction-roll and being carried over the top of the roll.

For convenience in feeding the seed-cotton lto the friction-roll some suitable form of feedboard is to be employed, having the usual grating for the escape of the ginned seed.. That feed-board, not being a part of the present invention, is not shown in the drawings.

The cotton may be fed to the roll by hand, or an automatic feeding device maybe used therefor.

In Fig. S I have shown another form of simple crank-motion-such as commonly used for similar purposes-adapted to drive the seedclearer L. This device consists of a shaft, S", driven by a pulley or otherwise, having a crank, C, and connecting-rod L.

In practice a series of brushes, 0*, may be used on shaft S, or a series of bars, D, or both together, as shown in the drawings, as the nature or condition of the cotton being ginned may require.

I have described the roller-shaft S as being j ointedly 7 connected to its driver .S3 and to the friction-roll D, as the nature of themachine, when constructed as herein shown, rcquires a laterally-movable motion of the said shaft relative to the said driver, and of the said roller upon said shaft at all times during their rotation. Any kind of universal joint that can be applied within the available space may be used for that purpose, and there are IOO IIO

numerous Well-known forms oi' such joints adapted for such use.

I have adopted the ball-andsocket form shown, because of its general simplicity and utility, and to show one forni of such joint-ed connection suitable for that purpose.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a cotton-gin, the combination, witha suitable roll-shaft`d1iver, a roll-shaft having one end jointedly secured thereto, and means for supporting the movable end of said rollshaft, of a hollow friction-roll jointedly sccured to said roll-shaft, substantially as described.

2. In a cotton-gin, in combination, a hollow friction-roll, D, a bushing, N2, Within said roll, means whereby said roll is driven by said bushing, a movable shaft adapted to carry and drive said bushing, and means for supporting and driving said shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a cotton-gin, in combination, a rollshaft driver, S3, a roll-shaft, S', a frictionroll, l), means whereby said friction-roll is driven from said shaft, a doctor-knife, K, and a movable bearing, B4, whereby said friction-roll is pressed against said doctonknife,substantiall y as described.

. 4. Atriction-rolljointedly supported,means for supporting and driving said roll, a doctorknife, means whereby said roll is pressed against said knife, a seed-clearer in front of said knife and roll, and means for imparting a reciprocating motion to said clearer, comL bin ed and operating substantially as described.

5. In a cotton-gin, a friction-roll jointedly supported, a guide-plate, a doctor-knife, anda suitable seed-clearer, combined and operating substantially as described.

(i. In a cotton-gin, a friction-roll jointedly supported, a guideplate, a doctonknite, and a suitable seed-clearer, in combination with a shaft, S, having a series of brushes, C", substantially as described.

7 In a cotton-gin, a friction-roll jointedly supported, a guide-plate, a doctor-knife, and a suitable seed-clearer, in combination with a shaft, S, having brushes C* and beater-bars D, substantially as described.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

Gino. A. REYNoLns, (l. O. PALMER. 

